The Fourth Journal
by AwesomeNinjaXD
Summary: Two friends, Jay and Jo, discover a mysterious journal about the secrets hidden in Gravity Falls and other places around the world. The two try to uncover the mystery around the strange circumstances of the author's disappearance.
1. Entry 1- The Hidden Book

Jason "Jay" Stewart was sitting on the bus awaiting the most boring vacation of his life. Gravity Falls wasn't exactly the most exciting of towns. It was a small town in the middle of the woods, with only a small tourist attraction- featuring Mr. Mystery- to keep it going. Nevertheless, his father decided it would be a good idea to move over to a "quieter" area. He only had a few friends, but it'd be a while before he got to see any of them again. That was back in Portland. The bus stopped next to the standard blue and white triangular sign. His father told him the cabin wouldn't be too far. A cabin of all places. Fortunately, it would have electricity and the works. They even had a neighbor nearby, with a daughter about the same age, so at least he could talk to someone.

* * *

Josephine "Jo" Bell was sitting at home reading her favorite book (_Chronicle of Mysteries_ by Isabella Willow). Most everyone these days thought books were a thing of the past, but they were still a gateway of adventure in her eyes. This summer was going to be better than any previous summer. She heard voices and a car engine outside. She figured it must be the new neighbors her parents had told her about. Apparently, they had a son about her age, and her father thought it was a good idea that they talk to each other, to make the summer more exciting. She heard that the neighbors were from the city, specifically Portland.

She didn't feel like admitting to her parents that this town had lost its magic some decades ago. The one thing that still interests the town is legends about the fate of a drifter that had left some years ago. He would leave for months, or even year, and then come back, but the last time he had left, he never came back. Still, Gravity Falls was the only home she had ever known.

_Ding-dong_

The doorbell brought Jo out of her thoughts and back to reality. She got up to open the door. There were a man, a woman, and a very embarrassed-looking boy. They must've been the new neighbors.

"Hello, there," she greeted them.

"Hello," the mother (presumably) responded. "We just moved in across the street." Jo didn't know if she'd classify the old dirt road as a "street." Also, the fact that there were only two houses (hers and theirs) within short distance to each other on the "street" made it apparent that it was more of a "woods" than an actual part of the town. It was also much further away than any other houses.

"It's nice to meet you," Jo said. "We haven't had much company since the last family moved out." The teen boy studied her curiously, and his eyes drifted down to her hand, which was currently clutching her book.

"You've read that book, too?" He asked her.

"Oh, uh, yeah."

"Jason, why don't you introduce yourself?" His mother suggested.

"Hi," he said to Jo. "I'm Jay." Jo introduced herself. The parents introduced themselves and suggested Jay try hanging out with Jo, as if he had anything else to do.

"Well, it was nice meeting you," Jay's father said.

* * *

At night, Jay was geting ready for bed. It was dark, but he noticed a figure moving outside the neighbor's house. Upon closer inspection, it was Jo. She looked back at the door to her house, hesitated, and began traveling into the woods to the left of her house. Jay wasn't one for sneaking out, but his curiosity got the better of him. He decided to follow her. By the time he got out of his house, she was a ways ahead. She stopped at an old abandoned cabin.

Though it looked relatively in good condition, it was clear no one had lived there in a long time. She went around the back of the building, and Jay followed suit.

"Hey! What are you doing here?" Jo asked as she noticed her follower.

"What are you doing here?" Jay shot back.

"Just looking around." The floor creaked as she went down a flight of stairs leading to a basement. "There's a lot of cool stuff here. Check it out." She looked through several cardboard boxes of old magazines, CDs, and video games. There were also tons of books. She pulled several off the shelves. A plain red book with no name was pulled, and a clicking and whirring sound was heard. The bookcase opened like a door. Behind was a closet filled with supernatural, paranormal, and possibly extraterrestrial paraphernalia.

There was a case with a book inside. The book had a black cover with two silver rings on the spine. The four corners were also silver. A pen and monacle were attatched to the book via a strap. The stranges part was a silver right hand in the center. It had six fingers, and on it was a "4" in black paint. Jo picked up some kind of scepter-looking object (walking stick, maybe?) and broke the glass of the container.

"Hey-" Jay started to say. Jo ignored him as she grabbed the book.

"Strange," she noted. She took a look inside. The first page had a message on it.

_Property of_

The book had a tear- like something scratched it off- that obscured the name. Inside, the book was filled with strange images and documentations. It was clear it was a journal, as it had several entries in between information about the subjects and topic discused. It must have been the fourth in a series of journals, or books made to look like journals.

"I think I'll keep this one," she told Jay. It was late, and they decided to check the house out at another time. As they went to bed, both had a feeling this summer would be more exciting than they had expected. All because of the fourth journal.


	2. Entry 2- An Adventure Awaits

Jay was comfy in his bed when he heard tapping on his window. He opened one of his eyes to find someone was throwing rocks. He checked his alarm clock: 7:37. It was too early for anything. He looked out the window and saw Jo. She waved to him, holding the strange book in her other hand. She held up the book for emphasis, and gesture for him to come outside.

He waved to her, and got ready, showering, and changing into suitable clothes. He went outside to see her hop toward him in excitement.

"You have to take a look a this. Haaave tooo."

She opened the book, and flipped through the pages. There were various discriptions of strange phenomena and creatures. She flipped to the back. There was a map on one page, and some weird mechanism on the other. The map showed the location of some rectangular object, with the same six-fingered hand. He couldn't make out what area the map covered; the top of the page read _Mount Brobdingnag_.

"So?"

"So, who knows what it could be? What do you say, want to go treasure hunting?"

"I think I'll pass," Jay told her. "Besides, we wouldn't even know where to start."

"No, but I think I know someone who would. C'mooon."

"Uh, fine. At least let me tell my parents I'll be gone for a bit."

The pair headed into town, Jay following Jo's lead. They went in the direction of the town's sole tourist attraction (aside from the local Bottomless Pit), the Mystery (S)hack at 618 Gopher Rd. They went inside. An old man with a red fez (with a black and gold tassle) was turned away from them, putting knick-knacks on a shelf. An old monkey skeleton tied to a fish tail was among them. To the side was a cackling skull from the town's Summerween tradition. In the corner was a statue of the previous owner.

"Excuse me, mister," Jo said politely.

"Oh, yeah, what do you two dudes want?" He wore an eyepatch, with a black suit.

"Mr. Mystery, do you know something called 'Mount Brobdingnag'?"

"Yeah, that's the nickname for this mountain here." He pulled out a map of the town and pointed to an elevated area. "By the way, Mr. Mystery is a bit too formal for me. Call me Soos."

"Oh, ok, thanks, Soos." The two acquaintances followed in the directions Soos had indicated. There was a large mountain in the distance.

"My treasure hunting abilities don't include hiking up a mountain," Jay said sarcastically.

"Fine," Jo said. "We can always come back, but take a closer look at some of these pages." She flipped through the pages of the book. Some images was briefly noticed by the two, and something flashed in their minds. They went blank for a millisecond.

"Ok, I do want to find out more about this stuff, if it is true. This town is weird, after all. Something about it. But, I'm not going up to that mountain."

The two returned to their "street", and they sat by a tree, reading through the various pages, until the same page from earlier appeared. It was a five-sided star, encased in a circle. On it was a question mark, a shooting star, and a pine tree. The two other symbols were a crescent and a butterfly. They didn't know what it meant. In the center was an eye. Something again clicked in their minds for the briefest attosecond.

Among other topics in the book were small bats with one eye, alligator men, Idyllians, wood clowns, and stone giants. The information was fascinating, but only served to convince Jay that they were just myths, urban legends from wherever the author was from.

That was a mystery in and of itself. Who was the author? Why did he decide to write the journals? Why was the old house in the woods abandoned?

As they read, the sun raised higher and higher. Soon, noontime came, and the pair decides to go back to their respective homes. Jay had a video game console. The Chimera X (newer model of Chimera) was the newest game console, having come some out 2 years ago, and Jay had ten or so games for it. He decided to play "Secret Guardians 2".

Jo did what she always did in her free time. Read the the same twenty-four books over and over again. This time, it was _Chronicle of Mysteries: Everlasting Enigmas_, a pre-sequel to the first. The previous book was some twins who used a series of journal entries to solve mysteries. She couldn't help notice the uncanny resemblance to her own current situation. The prequel she was currently reading was about their grandfather's adventures and other mysteries left unsolved from the first book, but with a few unsolved questions of its own. The third in the series, _Puzzling Paradox _was supposed to some out by the end of summer.

Jo's fascination with mysteries stemmed from the boring nature of the town mixed with its odd Nevermind All That Act, which the town had established back in 2012. She tried asking multiple people about why that act was passed, but no one gave a satisfying answer. The town has managed to keep some secret hidden for about five decades. She would have to figure out what that secret was eventually, even if it took her the rest of her life.

Meanwhile, a hooded figure watches the street from a distance. "Soon, I too will find the ultimate secret of those journals. He clutches a book in his hands, entitled _Gravity Falls Mysteries_.


	3. Entry 3- More Secrets

Jo continued to read her book, sighing on the couch. She was saving her money for the newest in the series. Speaking of which, she loved all of Isabella Willow's books, but hardly knew anything about the author. In fact, no one did. Or, at least, a few select people did. It was one of the greatest mysyeries surrounding the community around her books.

'Oh,' she thought. 'I forgot about the journal.' She checked the clock hanging on the wall. It read 9:31. It was late enough to try and wake Jay, she thought. She picked up a small pebble and threw it at his window. It didn't take as long as last time to get him to come outside.

"What could it possibly be this time?" He asked her.

"Do you always have to be so negative?"

"Just yell me."

"I want to go up today," she told him.

"Absolutely not, have a nice say." He turned to walk back.

"And why not, pray tell?"

"Because hiking up a mountain, with no idea what's up there is both exhausting and dangerous."

"Oh, ok, someone's afraid of a little danger."

"Yeah, that's kind of the point."

"Fine, scaredy cat, I'll go by myself."

"I... can't... let you do that. Fine, let me just get some appropriate clothes. But if we get eaten, that's on you."

"I'll take that responsibility."

"She thinks I'm joking."

As the two hiked up Mount Brobdingnag, Jo turned toward Jay.

"Y'know, I never noticed that before."

"What?"

"That crescent-shaped birthmark."

"Oh, that?"

"Yeah..." Thay both went quiet for a second, knowing they were missing something. As they reached the entrance to a cave, they noticed that inside were many, many tunnels.

"This place is like a maze. How are we supposed to...? Oh yeah."

Jo gave Jay a smug look as she pulled out the book, waving it in front of him to emphasize they had a map, even in he had already realized it.

A blue butterfly flew by the pair, disrupting their thoughts.

"Is that you, Buddy?"

"Who's that?" Jay asked.

"She's a butterfly who comes around my house a lot."

"How do you know that 'Buddy' is a girl?"

"She's a lot bigger than other butterflies. I just figured."

"Isn't that, you know, a little weird?"

"I don't think it is." It clicked in their minds for a brief moment. They decided to move on. Using the map as a guide, they followed a tunnel down. Along the walls of the cavern were pictures of people and smaller people. At first, Jo and Jay thought they were children, but soon realized they were hieroglyphs of giants and humans. One glyph was disturbing. The image showed a giant, colored grey-brown, carrying a mountain- very similar to the one they were currently in- on his back.

That's not all, they're were images of people with odd shaped faces. Large noses, and Xs and lines eyes. They were colored brown and had an odd "texture" about them. Little did they know that at that moment, they were being watches by those exact creatures.

As they walked through the tunnel, they came to another maze of branching paths.

"Uh, great..."

"Let's see, it's this one," Jo said, consulting the map.

As they went on, it began to get dark.

"We should head back for now," Jay said

"Right."

As they exited the tunnel, Jo placed a wooden stake into the ground, marking the right entrance. She did this with the first tunnel as well.

"What if, by some chance, someone-"

"We're the ones with the map."

"I was going to say someone might have taken it."

"Well, we'll find out tomorrow, won't we?"

"Uh, I guess so."

"Thanks," Jo told him.

"For what?"

"You know, for going out with me. Not a lot of people would go hiking just for a stupid scavenger hunt."

"I thought you believed in all of that."

"Yeah, but, you never said _you_ did." He had to think about that.

Later that night, Jo was reading more of the book, particularly the entries of the author. The batteries in her flashlight died. She rooted around in her bag- which was next to her- for another flashlight. She usually kept a spare or two. She found a blacklight she had salvaged from the old, abandoned house some weeks prior.

She turned it on, and found a message on the page she had been reading:

_TRUST NO ONE_

_ALWAYS BE CERTAIN_

'Invisible ink,' she thought. 'I have to tell Jay about this.'

She continued reading through the book, finding more mysterious secrets. Some of them read:

_They are watching me._

_I am running out of time._

_I like paper hats._

_I might not finish Six._

She fell asleep, dreaming of her next adventure.

Jay sat at home, thinking of his new, odd friend and neighbor. He thought about what she said.

'Do I believe in all that?' He asked himself. 'Surely most of it is fake, and the rest is just undiscovered anomalies.

Meanwhile, at a secret location, the same hooded figure is at a table at a secret lodge.

"So," said another hooded man. "Did you find it?"

"Not yet, but I have found some kids to help me."

"Are you sure it's real. The Author was said to have lost himself."

"A likely diversion," said the first. "I know 'the Author' personally, and it ain't just hogwash, that's for sure. I know he wouldn't have made it easy to find, and now them fellers are in possession of the fourth Journal. I don't even think they're aware of the others."

He got up from the table and turned around, revealing an eye on the back of his hood. In thr middle, rather than a pupil, was a pentagram.

"See y'all later, friends."

* * *

**A/N: **00110111 00100000 00111000 00100000 00110010 00110011 00100000 00110001 00111001 00100000 00110010 00100000 00110010 00110001 00100000 00110110 00100000 00111000 00100000 00110111

N, L, TLB,


	4. Entry 4- Hidden Danger

The morning came. This time, Jay was already outside the house when Jo went to wake him up.

"Alright, what's up?"

"I got some neeews."

Jay sighed. "I'll bite."

"Look at this," she took out the blacklight.

"A blacklight?"

"Yeah, I got it a few weeks ago. But that's not it. This is what I wanted to show you." She grabbed him by the hand, pulling him under the shade of a tree. She shined the blacklight on the journal. Invisible ink was written in many of the pages. On the page with the pentagram, an oval was drawn around the circle so that it looked like an eye. A message was written next to the oval:

_He is after these journals. I must hide them._

"Hmmm..."

"What?"

"I was just thinking, if this _was_ just all fiction, why would he go through the trouble of writing all these messages? And what's with that one?"

_I like paper hats._

"Maybe it's a clue." Jo shrugged. "Anyway, are you coming with me to the mountain or what?"

"Uhhh, ok."

"Huh..."

"What?"

"On the map: it says, 'The Brob resoonds to this music. Best to avoid that.'"

Jay looked at the page. There musical notes and incoherent, nonsense lyrics on the page.

"Who's the Brob?" Jay asked.

"I don't know. But like he said, it's probably best just to forget about that."

The two hiked up the mountain.

"This is fun," Jo said. "I'm really glad you came to Gravity Falls."

"You'll have to thank my parents for that." Jo giggled.

Following all of the stakes, they found where they left off. They made there way through several layers of an elaborate labyrinth. Each correct path led to another room of more tunnels. Eventually, however, they reached a room. On a rock, was an old black book covered in dust. Jo picked it up, blowing on it. Beneath the dust was a silver six-fingered right hand. On it was the number 5.

"There's more than 4?" Jay asked.

Suddenly, they heard a rattle, and what lookes like a large piece of wood came out of the shadows. It was one of the creatures from the hieroglyphs. It was even more disturbing than Jo and Jay imagined. It had and X for one eye, and a line for the other. It had curly "hair" and a large round nose. A wooden clown. A Wood Clown.

It laughed a goofy, unsettling laugh and walkes toward them, its arms extended. Jay and Jo stepped back. It began running after them, its arms poses to grab. Before it could reach them, something- no, _someone_\- landed on it, breaking its neck. It was a hooded figure. He (or she) walked over to the where Jo had dropped the fifth journal. They picked it up.

"I'll be taking this," the man informed them.

"What?" Jay asked. "Who are you?"

"Don't you worry about lil' ol' me."

"Now just a minute," Jo said. "I don't know who you think you are, but we found that journal fair and square. Where do you get off trying to steal it?"

He blew something at their eyes, and ran off with the journal. Though they could barely see, they both caught a glimpse of back of the cloak he wore. It was an eye, with a pentagram in place of an iris and pupil.

"What the-?" Jay asked. "Glitter?"

"Yay, glitter!"

"He took off with the journal."

"Than we should get it back."

"He's probably already outside the cave by now. If you ask me, these journals are more trouble than they're worth."

Something connected in Jo's mind.

_I might not finish Six._

"There are six of them..."

"What?"

"Don't you see? We just need to get the sixth journal before he does. Maybe we can even pick up the first three."

"But how? We don't know wherw they are."

"No, but remember that diagram?"

"The star?"

"It had a butterfly, and a crescent. Don't you realize? We're connected somehow."

"So what if we are? What does that have to do with finding the othwr journals?"

"Remember the question mark? Call it a hunch, but I have an idea of who that might represent."

They headed back down the mountain, having gained nothing but the confirmation that what the journals documented were real.

They headed toward the Mystery Shack. They entered the shack, signaled by the bell above the door. A woman was at the counter.

"Hello, welcome to the Mystery Shack."

Mr. Mystery, Soos, came from another door. Behind the door looked like a living room.

"Hey dudes, what's up?"

"Soos, we want to ask you a question. It's about this journal."

Soos gasped. He gestures toward the living room door.

"Give me a few minutes, Melanie."

As the three entered the room, they saw various artifacts.

"Where did you get that?"

"We found it in the old abandoned house, down thay way."

"These are dangerous."

"We know," Jo said. "But some guy stole number 5, so we wanted to see if you could help us get 6."

"Come with me."

They exited back into the shop. Soos walked over to the vending machine. He punched in a series of buttons.

1, A, B, C, 3

They went inside a hidden elevator to level 3.

"You see that?"

"That broken machine?" Jay asked.

"It was a portal. It helped an evil guy nearly destroy the town. You know, the Nevermind All That Act."

"So that's what it was about. Please help us."

"I don't really want to, but... look, I can't help you, but I know someine who can." He took out a notepad with addresses. He showed it to them, pointing to one.

"She can help you guys."

The name was Mabel Pines. Next to the name was another in parentheses. It blew Jay's and Jo's minds. The name was written as Isabella Willow.


End file.
